Just between Hau’ula and Kahuku lies a small town on the northeastern shore of Oahu, by the name of La’ie. It is mainly a residential community and has a population of 6,138 as per the 2010 census over an area of 2.1 sq. miles, resulting in a population density of 2,900 people per mile. The zip code used for this town is 96762.
La’ie was a pu’uhonua, a sanctuary for fugitives long ago. The name La’ie actually means the leaf (La) of a certain type of plant called a screwpine (Freycinetia arborea). This plant was considered to be sacred to Kane, the god of the Earth, god of life and god of forests.
The community is predominantly mormon, and the cultural attractions of the town include the Mormon temple located here, the La’ie Hawaii temple, which is the 5th oldest mormon temple in all the world. The Polynesian Cultural center, a large open museum and park which features the cultures of seven Polynesian island nations. It is the most paid visitor attraction in all of Hawaii and also the state’s largest living museum. Also located here is the Hawaii campus of Brigham Young University. A small shopping square can also be found.
One thing you should definitely check out, however, is La’ie point (or Laniloa point), which is a lithified dune protruding out into the ocean. To get there, take the Kamehameha Highway onto Anemoku Street toward the ocean. Take a right, and follow Napaka street till the very end. Accompanying this dune, will be two other lithified dunes, namely Kukuihoolua and Mokualai, which lie just offshore. Close by, you can find Pounders beach (La’ie Beach Park) and Hukilau beach.